Has anyone else noticed the “training in your socks” thing that’s going on?

It’s just kind of crept up on me. People wearing perfectly good trainers, then taking said trainers off to lift. Now, I’m used to the odd barefoot runner. In most sizable races, you’ll find 1 or 2 people who run shoeless. There is a technical term for these runners.

Crazy.

But I’m talking about the in the gym, lifting folks. And unfortunately, I see them most often in the Crossfit area.

Speaking of which, I was in a smallish gym in Florida last month, which had a smallish crossfit area. This area doubled as a stretch / cool down zone, since there was no other place to stretch or cool down. Like I said, a small gym. So I was stretching after my workout. Like I do. Cause when you have a few more miles on you, stretching becomes more important if you want to avoid pulled muscles, soreness, injuries, etc. If you’re of a certain age you know what I’m talking about. So I’m there, on the fake grass, stretching, at the near end of the area, and here comes Miss Crossfit. Full crossfit regalia, the socks, the outfit, the tattoos, the attitude, you know. We’re the only 2 people in the Crossfit zone. It’s small, but we should be able to avoid each other.

Nope.

She gets out the sled. For those of you who aren’t familiar, it’s a sled. That you pile weights on. And push. I guessing it’s for when you’re tired of flipping the tire. She gets it set up on the far end of the area from me. But, it’s aimed straight at me. I see this & think “OK, she’s setting it up for later, later being in 2 minutes, when I’m done stretching.

Nope.

She starts pushing. straight at me. Kind of a Titanic & Iceberg thing.

Folks, I’m a mellow dude. I subscribe to the “bamboo” principle. It’s better to be flexible, to bend like bamboo than be all rigid and end up breaking, like the oak. That is a philosophy I try to live by. Honestly. However, if you set up a large piece of metal, with weights, on skis, and decide to shove it at me, how I react is really going to depend on my mood.

I was not in a “bamboo” mood that day.

So I stayed where I was and continued my stretching as if I was unaware of the caliber of disaster indicated by the presence of a crossfit sled in my community. ( Bonus points if you get the Musical Theater reference.). And on she came.

She acted like I didn’t exist.

I acted like I didn’t notice her.

30 feet
20 feet
10 feet

At about a foot away, she stops. She looks up at me. I look back at her.
We remain like that for 5-10 seconds.
She “turns” the sled. Not as in “turn around”.

Nope

Turns as in passing within , say, and inch & a half of me on her way to the near end, which is about a foot past my head. Then turns it around, still like less than a foot from me, and heads down to the far end again.

“Did she do another lap”, you ask?
“Were there words / threats / punches exchanged” you wonder?
“Would I have gotten my proverbial butt handed to me” you muse?

BTW, the answer to that last one would probably have been “Yes”. She was totally jacked, and “roid rage” is a very real thing. And my record in physical confrontations is, at best a poor one.

But, honestly, by the time she was half way back to the far end I was done with my post-workout stretch. Unless I actively wanted to be a part of “fight night at the Anytime Fitness”, it was time for me to go.

So I went.

I have friends who do Crossfit. They are sweet, wonderful people and I love them.
And I am trying to not have an attitude about Crossfitters in general.

But, in this one case. And with this one person?
She didn’t help.
And guess what?
This entire blog has been one huge digression.
I’ll blog about weightlifting in socks next week. I promise.

Oh, by the ay, I saw the movie

“Nope”

this week.

It was alright. Not “write home about it” good. But alright.

Talk later,
Bob